Letter To Myself
by Leuny
Summary: We all know what happened to Kaito after he's stumbled over his dad's things. But what about the young Kaito? What happened before he and Aoko met in front of that fateful Clock Tower of Ekoda? A Mini-Fanfiction about his younger years.
1. The Letter

**Disclaimer**: Magic Kaitô does NOT belong to me. If it did, I would be sitting somewhere in a café in Japan, not in the middle of Europe.

_**~~TheLetter~~**_

Prologue: The Letter

"Start now, please!" the teacher's voice rang out over the pupils. It was a free-writing exercise that they were engaged in. The teacher would later collect their works and properly finish them – after all, it wouldn't do for all the letters to lie around without envelopes, right? So the young pupils wrote. Kaito, one of them, was unsure at first about what to write.

Briefly, he looked over to what Aoko-chan, his new best friend, was doing. But she noticed his curious glance and pulled her piece of paper away. No help could be expected to come from there. He sighed. He conceded defeat easily, however. This letter-writing exercise was quite the personal one, after all. And he didn't actually want to pry.

Nevertheless, he found it increasingly hard to find a good start, he'd never before had to write a letter, after all, excepting the occasional one to his mum and dad on their birthdays or for other special occasions. His writing wasn't all that good, either, though his Kana certainly looked impressively straight for a second-grader. All the practice at home with his mother certainly had paid off. Although even despite this, he drew them extremely slowly. He didn't want to smear any or make them illegible.

Still, he hesitated. Just what should he write about, anyway? Well. A letter usually started with a "Dear …", so he slowly put that, along with the name, on top of the blank page lying in front of him. Good. He could do this. Kaito was a bit nervous, to be frank, about writing to that person. What should he tell him about? What didn't that other person already know about? It seemed a bit ridiculous writing to that other person, seeing as he was supposed to know everything that Kaito already did and much more.

What would it be like to meet that other person? What would they talk about then? He paused. That was actually a good starting point. Carefully, the young boy positioned the pen on the paper and wrote the sentence following after the beginning:

"Dear Kaito-kun of the future,

How are you?"

_**~~TheLetter~~**_

**AN:** And that, my dear readers, is the first installment of my little Mini-Fanfiction. I hope you like it! **The next chapter will come on the 04.04.2012!** Also: Reviews, anyone?


	2. The Find

Chapter 1: The Find

**Disclaimer**: Everything here – from the characters to the setting – belongs to Gosho Aoyama! Enjoy the story!

_**~~TheFind~~**_

The air was hot, filled with dust, the smell of sweat and sunshine. Packed into one room only, it was not the best combination to have. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I opened the window. And inhaled. The fresh smell of grass came in, along with the entrancing scent of hot chocolate. Mum had gone downstairs to see if those cookies she had been baking were done yet just a few minutes ago. To me, it certainly seemed as though they were. Maybe I was just hungry.

Sitting down on the nearby chair,I leaned my elbows on the windowsill and put my head into my hands, simply gazing out the window for a bit. We were re-organizing our attic. Mum called it "cleaning up and throwing stuff away that we don't need any more" but I had been able to glimpse the expression on her face when she was looking at one of those things that she intended to label "useless" and had made it a habit to secretly get them out of that cardboard box that she put out to wait for the garbage collection and sneak them back into the attic again. I was sure mum knew about that, but she never said a word about my behavior. I'd of course taken it as permission to do so again and again. So nothing actually ever left our attic, making the word "reorganization" a better fit to describe what we were doing.

But what was I really doing here? I was just there because I was stuck in my plans. I had wanted to prepare my next heist, the target being a blue jewel in the collection of one of the most renowned jewel collectors, Hughes Hudgens. I sighed. I had hit a wall with the preparations – there being a particular corridor that I just couldn't seem to find my way around but which was observed by multiple cameras (as though four weren't enough… make my job difficult, why don't ya?) and guards patrolling through it every fifteen minutes in addition to several motion sensors distributed carelessly.

I sighed again. Of course it was mum who had the brilliant idea to get my help in her "reorganization" project just then. Maybe some fresh air would do me some good. That was the plan. So here I was, sitting at the window and enjoying the brief respite from carrying boxes needlessly down and then again up the stairs.

"Kaito! Could you get the door? Kaito!" her voice penetrated my ears. It seemed kind of muffled. I blinked. Then I heard a new sound: the door bell was ringing. It must have been for a while, too, judging from the level of aggravation that mum's voice was suffused with. Reluctantly I pulled myself away from the window and rose from the seat to do as I was told.

_**~~TheFind~~**_

Aoko and her father had come over for dinner that day. We were sitting at the dinner table, eating dessert, when our parents unearthed stories of our childhood.

"I know it was when we were eight that Aoko grew out of her girlish phase!" I threw into the conversation when her dad told us about that particular time in her life.

"Wasn't that when I told you to just stuff it and not always run to your mum whenever I got hurt?" Aoko raised her left eyebrow in challenge.

"I just went to her because otherwise you'd shout and cry my ears full all day if I hadn't!"

"Phew! I did tell you I'd be strong enough to survive _anything_, didn't I?"

"Girls!" I rolled my eyes. "I'll _never_ be able to understand how they tick!" Her dad gave me a sympathetic look.

It was a rather lazy conversation during dinner – no things were thrown around, we didn't chase one another as it had become custom lately and I didn't prank overly much. I just made one plate go missing during the middle of the dinner. But it was found on the head of Aoko soon enough, so no worries there. We were both also too full to start anything during the course of or directly after dinner – before the meal was another story entirely, of course. It was a wonder that my mum dared to put vases and glassy thingies up around the house, what with us doing our routine here all too often.

When we grew tired the two Nakamoris excused themselves and went home. Mum and me cleaned the table and mum went off to prepare herself for bed. I realized that I had forgotten to carry up one cardboard box into the attic when I almost stumbled over it on my way to my own room, so I took it into my hands and slowly ascended the stairs.

Once there I also noticed that the window was still open. I had to chuckle at my own forgetfulness. Where was my head these days? It should be at the heist plans! Then again, it seemed as though my mind was all over the place lately. I was thinking too much again. Shaking myself out of my brief stupor, I went over to the window and closed it. I turned around. The room – caked in half-darkness, half-light seemed to pout back at me. I smiled a half-smile. "We're going to finish you tomorrow, don't worry." Tenderly I let my eyes roam through the small space, partly filled with boxes, partly still in disorder. Dad would have supported what I was doing, I strongly believed that.

It was only my own thoughts that made me doubt myself and if I was capable of opposing _them_. And if I was able to find Pandora. It was possible that the jewel of this illustrious Hughes Hudgens was Pandora. He was a foreigner and the history surrounding the gem was mysterious enough to make me think that this might finally be _it_.

How come that since Kaitô Kid was active again more and more foreigners seemed to want to get their jewels to Japan, anyways? It might have to do with the fact that the value of the jewels that had been targeted by me or my father had all risen in value, I mused. But what if Pandora was one of the jewels that they'd bring here? Even with my track record of giving back the jewels, Pandora was one stone I'd keep. And destroy. If I could. I snorted quietly to myself. Yeah right. If Pandora really was that powerful, it would have been found already. Oh well. Sisyphus, comrade in arms, here we go.

I made one step forward when my foot got caught up in some net or other that was hanging out of one cardboard box. I hadn't switched on the light and the moon was the only source of brightness, so I couldn't really see what it was. I crouched down and detangled my unfortunate foot from the ropes. There was something else hanging out of that particular box. Curious, I got the box into my arms and went to the door to descend the stairs onto the lighted first floor.

It was an ordinary cardboard box, but with a few postcards having been glued to the outside of it. It looked ancient and a nostalgic feeling grew in my stomach. I sat myself against the wall and opened it. The treasures inside – especially the stories related to those – could probably fill more than two books, but the thing that my eyes were drawn to was just a small letter, lying prone on a book close to the bottom of the box.

_**~~TheFind~~**_

**AN: **I do implore you to press the review button below; it only takes about two seconds to leave a comment! And I can tell you now already, I'm happy with one-sentence comments, too!

Besides, does this count as a cliffhanger?

Also:

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: The next chapter will come on the 10.06.2012!**

I am deeply sorry for the huge break in-between, but real life truly doesn't want to let me go, and – as I already told you before, this story isn't yet finished; the next two chapters being somewhat extra-important and vital to what happens next in the story, I would rather postpone them (and edit both about a million times) than simply writing the story, posting it immediately upon having finished writing it and getting it all out in a wrong way.

Désolée! Gomen nasai! Es tut mir leid! I'm sorry for the inconvenience and crushed hope of having the next chapter out by some strange date next month, however I will give you something different to soothe your ruffled feathers, dear fans:

**CHAPTER 5 OF MY OTHER FANFICTION "We Are Golden", THAT I AM CURRENTLY CROSS-POSTING, IS COMING OUT ON THE 12.06.2012**

_**AND**_

**I will be publishing a ONESHOT on the 16.06.2012!**

So please check in once more then! Until then, thank you for your patience – and a biiig THANK YOU for any reviewers out there! :_D *doing a jig*


	3. Shaping The Future

Chapter 2: Shaping The Future

**Disclaimer: **Magic Kaito belongs to no one else but Gosho Aoyama.

**AN**: Happy Birthday, Kaito Kuroba! (Even if it's a little early… this ff isn't going to be updated anytime close to his b-day again!)

_**~~ShapingTheFuture~~**_

"Dear Kaito-kun of the future,

How are you? Did you manage to become super popular yet? If not, I have to tell you that I am going to be very disappointed in you!"

Kaito was fairly sure that was how the word was spelled. He was very proud of himself for having remembered that phrase from when his mother had scolded him for that latest stunt of his. The young boy hadn't known what it had meant when she'd said it for the first time, so he'd kept it in mind and asked her afterwards, when she hugged him to death moments after chastising him as per usual.

The young boy always did feel worse about what he'd done whenever she showered him with attention after a short one-minute silence of doom after the scolding: it was a rather useful method for making sure that she'd gotten her point across and that he'd show better behavior in the future. She'd explained the word by telling him that she "wouldn't like it if something like this happened again" and that "disappointed" meant pretty much the same, only a little stronger.

Smiling proudly, he looked down at his first few sentences that he'd written down. Alright. The start sounded good already, but how to go on? Hmmm… he'd have to figure that out sometime soon. Glancing up briefly, he realized that it had only taken him about two minutes yet. Fifty-seven more to go at least! The exercise seemed to take forever. So, what to write now?

"What did you do? Where did you go? Did you see Europe?" He'd always wanted to go there – just listening to his parents talk about how they met at the Eiffel Tower was awe-inspiring! (Naturally, they'd edited it a bit. The "more adult-version" of the tale could wait until he was older.)

Had his mother taken him there in ten years' time? Kaito was sure he wouldn't have gone there alone by then – he'd rather save the money and become a super-cool magician, so people would pay for him to come to all different kinds of places, like they were doing for his father already. Oh, Kaito wanted to be just like his father in the future!

That little fact gave him a thin, red thread to go on with:

"Did you become a magician or are you doing something else now?" As implausible as it sounded to his young ears, he had to give the possibility of him having ventured off the "right track" some thought, at least. He was sure his parents would support him in whatever he would do, so he didn't feel too bad asking.

What else could he ask?

"How are mum and dad? Are they alright? How many tricks did Dad teach you?" Somehow, he felt a tad jealous of his future self. It might sound weird – even to his ears, it did – but that was how he felt. His older self had to have experienced so many great tricks already – and his father must have taught him a lot by then. With ever-growing anticipation of all the magic tricks he'd learn "when he was older," the young boy started fidgeting a little in his seat.

He knew about proper gratitude, though, so he made sure to remind the Kaito of the future to thank his parents – what better thing to make the Kaito of the future do that was triggered by a letter from the past than to make him thank his parents? And besides, he was sure that was included in Aoko's letter, too. The teacher had suggested that as something that could possibly be included in their letters before making the pupils write them, after all. But Kaito thought he absolutely had to go about it in an easy-to-follow, logical sort of way, too. Otherwise he feared that the other Kaito might not understand what he was meant to do. So he proceeded to give detailed instructions.

"Where is he now? Find him!" That seemed like the most basic thing to do. "And then you have to give him a big bear hug. Say thank you and say it nicely, ok?"

Right. That was one half. Now, for the other one something special came to mind. "Then talk to Dad about getting Mum some flowers to thank her for being there for us! They have to be pretty and colorful, you understand? Don't go for the cheap stuff." Outright grinning now, he was rather proud of what he could already imagine happening then. His mother would be overjoyed and they'd all be happy – just as they were now that they'd finally moved there and met Aoko.

And they lived happily ever after. He kind of liked that phrase. They had earned the right to it fair and square and should anybody want to take that away from them again, he'd do anything to stop that!

Having finished his resolution by fisting his little hand right in front of his body decisively, he went back to regarding his letter and figuring out how to proceed.

Was there anything else that he wanted the other Kaito to know?

Ah. There was one thing that he desperately wanted to ask that "older Kaito" but that had been lingering on the edges of his mind up until then. Yet, he wasn't certain if it was a nice thing to ask or if it would just open old wounds…

A solemn hush fell over the brown-haired pupil, which was even noticeable by Aoko who paused in her writing shortly to give him a curious look.

What if…?

Well, he ought to at least have tried by then, right? Someone ought to…

But was it alright if he just went ahead and asked that of all things possible…? After all, he didn't want himself to be sad or depressed upon receiving this letter!

All of a sudden, the right phrasing came to him.

"How did your attempts at making more new friends go?" Well, it was the best he could come up with. As if opening a dam, more questions poured out onto the paper.

"Did they work out? What did you do? How did the others react? What made you become friends?"

That last question might be too much. He scratched it out and replaced it by "I really hope you are still friends with Aoko-chan! I don't want her to go away, because she is my bestest friend ever! Don't make her not like you any more, ok?"

Right. That should be enough to make the Kaito of the future see reason, should he not be friends with her any more. Kaito didn't know much of what might happen, but one thing he did know was that he didn't want to lose his first friend who accepted him just as he was and who didn't stare at him strangely at all.

He also liked the fact that – for the first time – he was the one who could be there for someone else instead of him being the one who needed to rely on others for help. Kaito wouldn't give that position up for anything the world, now that he had it!

Nodding to himself determinedly (earning him yet another inquisitive stare from his neighbor's direction), he went on to finish the short letter. He knew just the words to do that with, too!

"I hope you're doing alright and that you're not getting into too much trouble and that mum and dad liked the "thank you's" they got." Kaito didn't know what else he could inspire his future self to do. "His future self." Well, that had an odd ring to it, but he'd go with that.

With a flourish, he penned his last few words.

"See you soon,

Kaito from the past."

**AN:** **The next chapter will come on the 03.08.2012!**

Looks like I get to stay on schedule and publish/update my stories just when I told you I would. Rejoice! The Reading List Exam has been delayed until October. (Although I scheduled quite a few updates in September…)

In the meanwhile, please be patient with me and enjoy the

**THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF "We Are Golden" WHICH WILL BE OUT ON THE 12.06.2012**

**AND ALSO**

**THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF "We Are Golden" WHICH I AM GOING TO PUT ONLINE ON THE 01.07.2012!**

And as though that isn't enough yet:

_**Moreover**_**, I am planning to put online**

**ANOTHER **_**ONESHOT**_** WHICH I WILL PUBLISH ON THE 16.06.2012!**


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